


Hunger

by lunarhold



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Blood, F/M, Fluff, Horror, Horror!AU, Mentions of Violence, Survival Horror, mentions of cannibalism, monster abduction, wendigo monster
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-12
Updated: 2020-01-12
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:08:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,560
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22221565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lunarhold/pseuds/lunarhold
Summary: You and your friends just wanted a nice winter vacation. Haven't you watched all those cabin in the woods movies?
Relationships: Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin)/Reader, Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin)/You
Comments: 9
Kudos: 40





	1. The Cabin in the Woods

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A creepy store clerk, lots of snow, and freaky shadows in the woods. Great start.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is mainly build-up, so no violence.

“ _ Face _ it, Levi,” you said, looking up from the GPS on your phone. It was displaying your location as out in the middle of nowhere, at least six inches from the nearest grey line. It had been acting funny for the last thirty minutes, bouncing all over the screen before syncing up again, but this was new. “We’re  _ lost _ .”

Levi made an aggravated noise in the back of his throat, something between a growl and a huff. As per usual, he didn’t want to admit it, but it would be getting dark soon. The group really needed to get to their cabin before nightfall, the temperature already read below-zero, and it wouldn’t get any better.

“The sign for Krolva said it was ten miles. We can stop to stretch our legs and get directions,” Erwin said from the back. Levi jerked his head in agreement, but it was still grudging. Still, Erwin thought, it was for the best. The reception was spotty at best and the GPS was more or less useless.

You reached out, laying your hand on Levi’s thigh for a brief moment, giving it a reassuring squeeze. You understood some of his irritation. He had been driving for the better part of five hours, the roads were less than stellar, and it had been alternating between rain and snow for the last two hours. Likely, he was sore and tired and that made him grumpier than usual. He didn’t take his eyes off the road, but nodded his head stiffly in acknowledgement. Typical.

You turned your attention out the window. The snow powdered trees were quite pretty, especially with the additional snowfall. It was nothing new, though. They had been the same for over half the trip, and breathtaking though they were, all you wanted now was to see your cabin or, at the least,  _ some _ sign of civilization.

As if by thinking it you called it up, a rinky-dink general store came into view. THe wood facade was faded and peeling, covered in bumper stickers and those cheesy metal signs with stupid slogans stamped into them. The sign displaying the name was rusted and missing some of the plastic numbers for the gas prices, but it read “Krolva General Store”. Original.

Levi pulled up on one side of the single, exceptionally old, and rusted gas pump. On its other side, Mikasa parked her little sedan even with yours.

Bracing yourself, you opened your door. The wind immediately slapped you in the face and you expelled a curse. “Bull _ shit _ it’s even thirty.” A scarf suddenly obscured your view, winding its way around your neck and draping around your shoulders. Snuggling down into it, you thanked him.

He gave you a stern glare in response. “Make sure you put that on before you get out next time, idiot. You’ll catch your death.”

You frowned at his retreating back. Boy, he was  _ really _ cranky.

Everyone trudged towards the store, eager to stretch their legs after being cooped up for so long in the car. Inside the store was blessedly warm, and also very cramped. The shelves appeared to stock everything from oil filters and the accompanying oil to canned goods.

While you perused the shelves with Sasha, Erwin and Levi chatted with the shopkeeper. Everything was going fine, filled with the usual mundane small talk, until they mentioned where you were headed.

His voice became high-pitched and strained as he answered. “I know how to get there, but believe me when I say you ought to stay  _ far _ away from that place. It’s--” He paused, as if unsure how to continue on. “Well it’s-- a lot of people have gone missing up there. They find some bodies come spring, but not all of ‘em.”

“Well, if they go out in the snow and get lost, of  _ course _ they’ll go missing,” Hange said from the chip aisle. Her voice was still groggy from her nap in the car, but you could clearly hear the disdain.

“It’s not the snow that kills ‘em. They say-- I’ve seen-- the bodies are  _ eaten _ ,” he replied. 

He turned to stare at each person in the group, until you locked eyes with him. You quickly broke contact and turned back to the candy bar in your hand. Finding yourself not hungry anymore, you made your way stand behind Levi at the counter.

Erwin was polite in his response but also disdainful. “There are plenty of carnivores that are active during winter, wolves being number one among them.”

Sound logic, you thought. The others had joined you at the counter, not quite crowding but close enough to share their warmth and hear a little better.

The clerk shook his head, steadfast and obstinate. He was nothing if not determined. “No animal could do what was done to those poor people. Their face just...it’s like they saw the devil himself. Their bodies torn up, ripped to shreds by claws bigger’n any wolf.”

Sasha brushed gently against you, wrapping an arm around yours. Her other was linked with Connie’s, and her eyes were huge on her face, displaying mild panic. She was always the biggest wimp when it came to scary stories.

Giving her hand a reassuring squeeze, you turned to look forward again. Sasha’s nudge had jostled you into Levi, making him turn his peevish glare onto you. It softened slightly as he took in your disheveled state. It was clear you were as tired as him, and he felt like an ass for snapping at you all day.

“So, say it  _ is  _ something other than wolves. What else could it be?” Hange asked. She was properly awake now and on a roll not likely to stop without outside intervention. She loved a good mystery, especially when she thought the answer was wrong.

“The natives call it lots of different things, but the most common is the  _ wendigo _ . People who succumbed to the temptation to eat the flesh of another person rather than starve,” the clerk said. Even in the face of Hange’s blatant disbelief and attitude, he remained staunch in his belief of this creature.

Clearly, the legend ran quite deep.

“Look,” Levi snapped, interrupting Hange just as she opened her mouth to retort, “we appreciate your concern, but we’re tired and just want to get to our cabin. Can we get some directions?”

The others began to shift restlessly at his words and mutter amongst themselves.

“What if what he says is true?” Sasha asked, staring at you with big, round eyes. She always was so gullible, and it was as endearing as it was amusing.

“A  _ wendigo _ ? Really?” you asked, accompanied by a snort. You loved a good scary story as much as the next guy, but you certainly didn’t believe them to be true. “Small towns  _ all  _ have ghost stories, Sash.”

The clerk was somewhat reluctant to give the directions. First he couldn’t find his pen, then he had to check something out in the back. It was almost ten minutes before he came back, and still he was refusing to write them down. At last, Levi had to slam his hand down on the counter, almost snarling at him before he consented. He quickly wrote them down on the back of a flyer advertising homemade jams, and didn’t seem the least bit abashed by his behavior. Levi took your hand after snatching the paper off the counter, dragging you towards the door.

The clerk called out before you could leave, stopping everyone in their tracks. His face was pale, and his mouth was set in a deadly serious frown. “You kids don’t have to believe me. No one ever does. But a lot of people don’t come back from up there. And it ain’t no animal. Keep your fires lit.”

There were intermingled snorts and mutterings at his parting words, but the hairs on the back of your neck stood up. How could he be so adamant that there was a creature eating people, so much so he was willing to drive off tourists? And even if it wasn’t this “wendigo”, what could have spawned such a deep seated fear? What had actually happened up in the mountains that this man was so fearful?

The weather hadn’t changed one bit outside, other than a light flurry to accompany the whipping wind. Visibility was alright though and the directions were spot on. In another thirty minutes, you were parked in front of a decent copse of trees, through which glimpses of a cabin could be seen. There was a narrow path leading up to it, covered entirely by snow and not nearly big enough for a car.

“Guess we’re walking,” you said hesitantly. No one made any move to get out of the vehicle. Next to you, through the snow, you could see the others staring up at the cabin too, looks of exasperation and exhaustion evident on their faces. “Well, fuck it.” You threw open the door, and the cold air was all too happy to replace the warmth inside. 

This spurred the others into motion, everyone scurrying as fast as they could through the ankle-deep, fresh-fallen snow to get their luggage. The bags made the trek up the icy, snowy trail more arduous than it already was; everyone was tired and the slog to the cabin was slow and draining. At last, after what felt like an hour, you were all huddled around the front door.

Relief turned to despair in a flash when you realized that, though there was electricity, nothing had actually been on. It was  _ freezing _ inside. The  _ only  _ upside was that you were at least out of the wind and snow.

Everyone was now well past tired and into “pissy” territory. Trudging upstairs with their luggage, rooms were chosen without discussion and doors were slammed shut, until only you, Sasha, Connie, and Armin were standing in the foyer still.

“Well,” Connie said with sarcastic amusement, “this is off to a  _ great  _ start.”

“I mean, they couldn’t very well leave everything on between guests. That would be a waste,” Armin said, ever logical.

You were inclined to agree. It was your own faults for assuming the heat would be on. The rented cabins were practically in the middle of nowhere and owned by some big resort company. They didn’t care about your comfort, only your money. Saying as much, you picked up your bags and legged it up the stairs, the soles of your still wet boots squeaking on the hardwood. Water dripped from your hair into your eyes as you stared down the hall, trying to determine which one Levi had chosen.

Scratch that, you were trying to determine if you even wanted to room with him. He was already in a foul mood, and this development would only make him worse.

As if you had summoned him, the third door down opened up and out popped his head. His eyes narrowed as he caught sight of you. “Hurry up, brat. You need to get out of those wet clothes.”

Rolling your eyes, you hefted your bag up, wondering how he could be so concerned for your well-being while sounding like he wanted to remove your head from your shoulders via extreme force. It was a talent he possessed in spades.

His suitcase was already laid open on the bed, everything packed neat and tidy. Next to it, yours looked like you had just thrown everything into it and hoped for the best. 

Which you didn’t do. 

At first. 

Grimacing at the mess, you pulled out a pair of your warmest, comfiest clothes, plus a fresh pair of socks, since your boots had done little to protect you from the knee deep snow.

“Ah,” you sighed once in fresh clothes. Although they were no warmer than your previous set, they  _ were  _ dry, which made a monumental difference. Wiggling your toes in your fuzzy socks, you thought maybe you could feel them a little again.

“Feel better?” Levi asked. His breath fanned across your chilled cheek as his arms came up to circle your waist. His chin settle on your shoulder, and you reveled in the warmth his body provided.

“I do,” you said, linking your fingers through his. You knew this was his way of apologizing; it was the best he could do given the word “sorry” wasn’t even in his vocabulary. Turning to look at him, you met his apathetic grey stare and were reminded of how beautiful they were. His arms squeezed more tightly around you, and you thought maybe he was thinking along the same lines. “We should probably see how the others are fairing.”

His reply came in the form of a grunt, indicating that he did, in fact,  _ not _ agree with that, but withdrew from you anyway. He wound his fingers through yours as he led you down the hallway. Downstairs, everyone but Connie and Sasha were gathered in the living room. None looked happy.

“Do you want the good news or the bad news?” Hange asked. Her usually bright face was sullen, her excitement replaced with frustration. She was crabby from being in the car, plus her interrupted nap,  _ plus _ the cold.

“Er, the bad?” you said, though it was really more of a question. Seeing Hange in such a foul mood was disconcerting at best, and you weren’t sure if you wanted her to answer.

“Yippee. There  _ is  _ no heater in this cabin,” she said, throwing her hands up in the air. Then she sighed in exasperation as they fell back to her sides. “The good news is there’s firewood already cut and stacked up outside. I suppose we  _ did _ sign up for the “rustic” experience.” Air quotes accompanied this statement, along with a small smile.

“So, the question is: who wants to go get the firewood?” you asked, and everyone groaned collectively in answer. You shrugged in response. “The cold will weed out the weak then, I guess.”

“Ugh, fine,” Eren said, “I’ll go. Can’t let everyone freeze to death I guess.” As was to be expected, Mikasa quickly joined the party after his statement.

“I’ll go as well,” Erwin said. “Come on. The quicker we get out there the quicker we get back.”

“I should go help,” Levi said and followed them out the door. It didn’t take them long to march back in, laden with logs and relatively snow-free.

“The wood is right there at the end of the porch. We didn’t even have to go out into the snow!” Eren exclaimed as he dumped his load into the holder next to the hearth. The others headed upstairs to stock the rooms. It took only two more trips filled all the rooms with enough wood to last the night.

\--

Sometime later, with the fire crackling in the fireplace and the room warm at last,everyone had settled down in the living room. Eren had started up a game of poker, which Hange, Mikasa, Connie, and Armin were quick to join. Sasha, who had no poker face whatsoever, and Erwin, who was giving tips to Armin, had opted out but were watching intently. You were sitting on the window seat facing the front of the cabin, a book in your hands and a blanket thrown across your legs. Levi was sitting opposite you, sharing the blanket and staring out the window into the falling snow.

“Hey.” Levi’s voice broke your concentration and you looked up, brows furrowed in question. “Do you see that?” he asked, pointing out the window at the line of trees.

The snow wasn’t falling hard, but combined with the wind whipping it every which way and the falling darkness, it made it tough to see. Squinting and pressing your nose almost to the glass, though, you thought you might have spotted what he was talking about.

“The fuck?” you asked. “Are those antlers?”   
Your sharply spoken words caught the attention of the others. A few got up, evidenced by the scraping of chair legs on wood, and crowded around you.

“Wow, antlers. Spooky,” Connie said, peering out the window. His breath fogged the glass, and he had to wipe it away to see properly. After another second, he cursed, “Wait, what the hell?”

“So, I’m not the only one who thinks that deer is freakishly tall?” you asked. The deer was standing stock still, obscured for the most part by the tree. The fading light wasn’t making it any easier, and it seemed as if in a blink the silhouette was gone.

“Uh, guys, am I the only one a little freaked out? Deer aren’t that tall, are they?” Connie asked. His voice reflected his unease and, based on the restless shifting of everyone around him, he wasn’t the only one put off.

“I’m sure it was just the fading light and snow, “ you said, hoping that you sounded more sure than you felt. Regardless of whether it was true or not, it still unsettled you. You were out in the middle of nowhere at night, with snow falling faster and thicker as time went on. Even if you wanted,  _ needed _ , to make a hasty exit, it would prove dangerous. Looking to Levi, you found him already staring at you, a frown marring his face. He looked thoughtful, if not ill-at-ease.

“I think you’re right. Likely it was just a deer, and the weather playing tricks,” he said. Unlike you,  _ he _ sounded sure and confident, and that reassured the others more than you could.

“Guys, let’s still, y’know, lock the doors,” Sasha said. She was clinging to Connie and staring at the window with wide, fearful eyes. 

If the others found this at all paranoid, they didn’t voice it. Instead they nodded, sharing nervous smiles and the next ten minutes were spent checking doors and windows. Everyone settled back down after that, but it was a bit quieter, the room a little more tense. 

More than once, right up until you went to bed, you found yourself checking the window for signs of movement. Nothing was ever here, except for flickering firelight and the reflections of your friends. And a brooding Levi, but you couldn’t say you minded staring at that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is technically on hiatus, but I do intend to come back to it. I just don't know when.


	2. Snowed Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You really should have listened to that clerk.

When you woke up the next morning, sunlight was already filtering through the window. The fire was still smoldering in the hearth, but provided little warmth to the room. But with Levi wrapped tight around you, his arm over your waist and his chest pressed tight to your back, you were perfectly warm and content. With no desire to get up yet, you relaxed back into your pillow, dozing lightly until Levi stirred behind you.

“Morning,” you murmured, still partially asleep. Feeling him move again, this time rolling away from you, you groaned. His movements had allowed the chillier outside air under the blankets. Blinking slowly, you watched him cross the room with a scowl. 

He returned minutes later but, before he could crawl back into bed, the window caught his eye. Twitching the curtain back a little, he cursed, causing you to sit up.

“What’s wrong?”

“I thought the weather was supposed to be clear,” he answered, parting the curtains completely to reveal the near white out condition outside.

“It  _ was _ ,” you said, joining him at the window. “There goes anything we  _ could _ have done.” The night before, you could see a neighboring cabin some ways away. This morning, you weren’t even sure you were facing the right direction.

You continued to talk about the weather as you dressed and headed downstairs, wondering if everyone else had seen yet. Judging by the disgruntled mumbling, they had.

“Am I missing something?” Eren asked as you hit the bottom of the stairs. His hair was dishevelled, as though he had just rolled out of bed, and he was wearing a pair of thick flannel pajama pants. “Did the weather channel say anything about a storm?”

“No, I don’t recall them saying even a possibility of  _ this _ ,” Hange said, gesturing around towards the window. It hadn’t slowed down a bit and, if anything, seemed to be falling harder than before. If it kept up, the cars would be buried in no time-- provided they weren’t already. How long had it been snowing before anyone woke up?

There was a sudden snort and everyone looked to Connie. “Maybe it’s the  _ wendigo _ , ooh!” he said, waving his fingers in Sasha’s face.

A chill raced up your spine as Sasha squealed and swatted them away. That store clerk had said something about a storm, to stay out of it. It was an odd coincidence. Looking around at the others, you could see none of them thought anything of it. Maybe you were the only one freaking out over it. 

But that clerk had seemed so sure…

Shaking your head at yourself, you smiled. I’m turning into Sasha, you thought.

“Yeah,” Hange said, rolling her eyes, “there’s a cannibal who can control the weather lurking around just waiting to pick us off.” The others snickered at her choice of words.

“And now, to the wendigo for the weather,” Eren said in a mock anchor voice.

Connie piped up then with, “Well, Eren, today we have a strong chance of crazy bad snowstorms and a possibility of being eaten. You, not me.”

Everyone erupted into laughter at Connie’s goofy, not-at-all-menacing voice. He sounded like he was attempting to talk through his nose, and the effect was nothing short of hysterical. 

“Cannibalistic weathermen aside,” Armin said once he had caught his breath, “we’re gonna need more firewood, otherwise we’re going to freeze.” 

Everyone stopped laughing to look at Armin as comprehension dawned. Someone was going to have to go out into the storm.

Even with the knowledge that there couldn’t  _ possibly _ be anything out there, you were still unsettled by the thought of someone going out there.

“We’re gonna need parkas and a guidewire to get through that shit,” Eren said with a groan. He absolutely did  _ not  _ want to leave the cabin. 

“It’s the end of the porch, brat. We’ll be fine,” Levi said. He looked to Erwin, his brow raised in question. There were no better people to go out and get it done. Except Hange and Mikasa, but any more than two people out there would get too complicated.

Erwin nodded, joining Levi at the door. “We’ll be back in a minute,” he said, and disappeared out the door.

Panic lanced through you, and you almost called out to them to stop, don’t go, but the door was closed and they were gone. Soft muttering broke out following the hollow click, and Hange sidled up beside you.

“This storm is wild, huh?” she asked, staring out the window. She looked thoughtful.

“Yeah. I mean, I expected snow but this is way more than a little flurry,” you said, watching her intently. She was unusually pensive, and you were curious about what she was thinking. It had to be about more than the storm.

“No one saw anything about this on the weather. This is one hell of a freak storm.” Her eyes still hadn’t left the window and it now looked like she was trying to melt the glass.

“Yeah…” you said, finally getting an inkling of where she was going with this.

“And the cashier yesterday said to stay out of the storm.  _ The _ storm. Not  _ a _ storm. Why would he say  _ the  _ storm?” she asked, though whether she was asking you or herself was hard to tell. Finally, she looked at you, and the frown twisting her face revealed just how worried she really was.

It dawned on you that your conversation had attracted the attention of the others. Not that you wanted to disbelieve Hange, but was she really saying she thought there may be some truth to what the clerk said? That there was some human-turned-cannibal monster out there, and that  _ it  _ was the cause of this? Because that was what the clerk had implied and it appeared to be what she was implying. But why? 

“Not that I don’t find it weird. He seemed really,  _ really _ sure yesterday,” you said, trying to pick your words carefully. Being honest with yourself, you weren’t sure you  _ didn’t  _ believe her. You had been having the same thoughts not ten minutes prior to her saying it out loud. But you didn’t want to freak the others out for no reason. “But what are the odds that this wendigo exists? I mean  _ really _ ?”

Hange nodded in agreement. “I don’t know about a creature, but I do remember reading about something back in college. It was called Wendigo F--”

The door blew open, cutting her off with a loud  _ crack _ as it swung back with enough force to bounce off the wall. Everyone stared at the now open door, unable to move as cold air and snow swirled across the floor into the room. No one reacted until the door closed and Levi stumbled further into the room, clutching his right wrist in his left.

You gasped his name and dashed towards him, Hange hot on your heels.

Behind you, the others started talking all at once.

“What happened?’

“Why are you bleeding?”

“Are you alright?”

“ _ Where’s Erwin? _ ”

The last question cut through clearest and gave you pause. You shared a look with Hange, but with everyone chattering behind you it was hard to think. Levi appeared to be in pain, blood dripping from several gouge marks on his wrist, and was shivering uncontrollably.

“Guys,” you shouted, “shut  _ up _ !”

All at once, it stopped. You and Hange led Levi over to the cough, helping him to shed his jacket then wrapping a dry blanket around him. The fire was all but out, and provided no help.

“We need to see where Erwin is. If he’s still out there--” you said to Hange, but were interrupted.

“No,” Levi snapped, snatching your hand up in his and smearing his blood across your skin. Despite his shivering, there was no hesitation in his voice. “Erwin is gone. Something took him.”

“Something?” Connie interjected, high pitched and shrill. “What-- Y-You didn’t  _ see  _ what took him?”

“Connie,” you snapped, pushing him back, “let him  _ finish _ .”

“I saw. I managed to grab Erwin before he disappeared,” Levi said, and shook back his sleeve to reveal his wrist. The bleeding had stopped but the wound was still a mess of claw marks.

“Well?” Eren prompted, shifting on his feet. Everyone was crowded around the couch, watching intently with fear in their eyes.

You couldn’t blame them. You were terrified as well and a glance at Hange confirmed she felt the same. Whatever took Erwin had spooked the most stoic man you had ever met, and that was cause for concern.

“I only caught a glimpse before it yanked Erwin’s hand from mine. It was tall, taller that the porch roof, and extremely fast. They were gone almost as soon as I let go. The only reason I didn’t go with them is because I caught the railing. It smelled putrid. I came back to the door, but I could hear still Erwin yelling.”

“It doesn’t sound like there was anything else you could’ve done,” you said, squeezing his hand. “Except maybe go with him.”

“I could have gone after him,” Levi growled. He was staring at the smoldering logs with a twisted frown. He could’ve pulled Erwin back onto the porch, out of the creatures grip. There was more he could’ve done, had he had time.

“You would’ve just gotten lost,” you chided. You could already tell what he was thinking. “Then we would have no idea what happened to either of you.”

“Whatever else you  _ could  _ have done, I think this was the best choice. We need to get out of here. Come back with help,” Hange said. She taken on her “Captain voice,” as you were fond of calling it, and you were grateful for it. Someone needed to be in command.

“Won’t the cars be buried by now? Maybe whatever it was won’t come back,” Sasha asked, staring at the door. It was clear she was terrified, not unlike everyone else, but she was most likely to break into panic first. 

Except maybe Armin. He didn’t look too hot either.

“This thing,” Mikasa said, fiddling with her scarf to calm her nerves, “it’s the wendigo.”   
You jumped at the sound of her voice. She had been so quiet that you had forgotten she was with you.

“N-Now hold on,” Connie exclaimed. He wrapped his arms around Sasha in a fierce hold, his voice loud and unnatural in the large room. “No one said  _ anything _ about that. It could have been a starving wolf for all we know.”

“What wolves do you know of that tower over the roof, Connie?” Eren snapped. As his fear rose, so did his anger. Mikasa wrapped an arm around his, willing him to calm down.

Connie deflated at this but put out one last feeble protest. “Maybe Levi saw wrong. I mean, panic and the-the snow…”   
You felt Levi tense under your hands, his head snapping up to glare at the other man, but you intervened before he could retort. “I don’t think anyone wants to believe it’s anything  _ but _ a wolf,” you said gently, “but if you honestly think Levi of all people hallucinated because of panic, then you need rethink your friendship with him.”

Connie looked suitably abashed and fell silent, as did the others. Everyone was now on high alert, watching the doors and windows for a sign of this creature that, up until ten minutes ago, they had been making light of.

With Levi suitably warmed up now, you and Hange began to make plans with him, starting with cleaning up his wrist. Amidst all of this, the sharp sound of breaking glass rang out, causing everyone to wheel around towards the kitchen.

Everyone was accounted for in the living room.

“Maybe Erwin got away,” Sasha whispered shakily. Connie nodded in agreement, but never looked away from the doorway.

Ignoring her, you crept towards the other room, following Levi and leading Hange. Even before you could see in, you could feel an icy draft winding from the room. It came from the shattered back door; shards of glass littered the floor, covered in a viscous blue liquid. It dripped from the pieces still lodged in the frame, a trail leading a foot from the doorway towards the basement before disappearing.

“What  _ is  _ that?” you asked, peering around Levi to get a closer look at it.

“It almost reminds me of blood,” Hange said. She squatted down next to the remains of the door and reach out, pressing her fingertips into one of the droplets. When they came away, it stretched before becoming too heavy and falling to the floor. Smearing it across all four of her fingers she said, “I think it  _ is  _ blood.”

“Not human blood,” you said with a shiver before backing away from the broken door, wrapping your arms around yourself as you went. Levi was right behind you and, when you reached the living room, you turned and threw yourself into his chest. “Levi, what should we do?”

He held you to him, his arms wrapped around you as tight as he could, mindless of the others in the room. He’d be damned if this thing got ahold of you, but he wasn’t sure  _ what  _ the best course of action was. With the blizzard outside and the cars likely being buried, that option was more or less out. But if it was inside with the group, then you couldn’t very well stay here.

“Holy fuck, that thing broke in here?” Connie screamed, breaking Levi from his thoughts. He had made his way to the kitchen with the others finally, but certainly didn’t like what he had found. “We can’t stay here if it’s in here with us!”

“So what,” Eren snapped back, “we should go out and wait for it to find us? Maybe if we’re lucky, we’ll freeze to death first!”

“Guys,” Armin pleaded, putting himself between the two, “whatever we do, fighting won’t get us anywhere.”

They continued to argue, with Armin, Mikasa, and Sasha trying to diffuse the situation. Hange continued to stare at the blood covered glass in consternation.

You were still shivering in Levi’s arms, face hidden in the juncture between his neck and shoulder. The fear of staying inside and risking being eaten by the wendigo was at war with the terror of going out into the freezing cold and getting lost, until you died of exposure. Anxiety at the thought of having to decide which way you would rather die bubbled up, and you felt the familiar prickle of tears in your eyes.

Levi felt you tense against him and smoothed his hand down your back. “We’ll figure this out. You two,” he snapped, causing Eren and Connie to snap to attention, “shut up. Hange, let’s go. We need to decide what to do, and quick.”

She lurched to her feet and made her way to him, trailed by the others.

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” she asked him.

Levi nodded in agreement. “It isn’t in here with us.”

“Not in here?” you asked, looking up between the two of them through bloodshot, red-rimmed eyes.. “What makes you think that?”

“We would have seen it go anywhere but the basement, and I think we would have heard it going down there. Fast doesn’t mean silent,” Hange said. She was still staring at the blue smear on her fingers in that dreamy way that said she had a thousand ideas swirling around in her brilliant head. But she wasn’t sharing anything yet, not when there were more pressing matters to attend to.

“So it was trying to scare us?” you asked. “Why else would it break the glass then just leave?”

“It was likely trying to make us panic and run into the storm,” Levi said carefully. It made the most sense. Putting itself into the basement would leave it trapped; it made far more sense to scare them.

“Remember what the clerk said,” Sasha said. Similarly to you, she was pressed as close to Connie as she could be without crawling inside him. “Keep the fires lit, and don’t go out into the storm.”   
“Alright. Alright, so we light a fire and hole up,” Connie said. All of the sudden, he sounded optimistic. “We can wait for the storm to pass!”

Levi and Hange exchanged glances. He was at least half right. But you couldn’t stay there forever. There were too many variables, number one being that the wendigo would likely get tired of waiting and come back, doing more than smashing a window when it did. But he was absolutely right about needing to build a fire. You needed to keep warm, otherwise the wendigo wouldn’t have time to get to you.

“You’re right,” Levi said at length, “the five of you ought to stay down here and get a fire going.” Then he looked to you and Hange. “We should gather more blankets. That fire won’t be enough.”   
Everyone agreed and went their separate ways. None of you liked being separated from the others, and the blankets were gathered in a haphazard mess before you rushed back downstairs.

The others had done a good job of getting the fire going, using the various magazines and books left lying around. Blankets were passed around with a quickness.

You were quick to curl up under a thick quilt with Levi, tangling your legs together with his in an attempt to be as close as possible. You didn’t have enough energy to feel bad about invading his space-- he was usually so touchy about PDA. But it didn’t seem to matter today as he pressed his ice cold lips to your temple.

“Are you alright?” he asked in a near whisper, even though the others were too busy being caught up in their own whispered conversations to be concerned about yours.

You laughed, a shrill sarcastic burst of air. “Wendigoes and Erwin and-and the storm, I--” You paused and took a deep breath. No doubt he was as worried as you were. You couldn’t afford to be hysterical now. “I’m freaking out, Levi. I’m terrified. But I-- I’ll be alright. Just so long as we make it out.” You linked your fingers with his, giving them a solid squeeze. Of course you meant everyone. You didn’t want anyone to be left behind or lost to this monster. But more than anyone else, you couldn’t lose Levi. He seemed to understand, as he clutched your hand tighter and pressed his lips to your forehead. “What about you?”

“What about me?”

“Are you alright? I know you’re mean and tough, but this thing…” you said, staring up at him. He was always so strong for everyone in every situation, but this one was different. There was a creature out there, supposedly,  _ apparently _ , able to create storms and move quick enough to appear to disappear. Not to mention carry a fully grown man off  _ while  _ disappearing.

“I’m fine. I’ll let you worry about me when we get out of this,” he said, and you giggled, knowing there was no way  _ that _ was going to happen. You practically had to strap him down to make him let you worry about him.

The two of you lapsed into silence after that; your ear was pressed right over his heart and the steady thrum combined with his calm, even breathing managed to lull you into a doze. Levi was more than happy to let you, you needed your energy. The wendigo wasn’t going to leave you alone forever and if you weren’t able to run, you had no chance of escape.

\--

Even though you never fell fully asleep, it still scared the hell out of you when a loud crash rang throughout the house. Jolting upright, you gripped the blanket tighter to you, staring in the direction of the noise. Levi, in his haste to stand up, knocked you over to the floor, but followed it up by pulling you to your feet, planting himself between you and the stairs.

A piercing, blood-curdling shriek echoed from upstairs, followed by an odd clicking noise on the wood. The fine hairs all over your arms and the back or your neck rose up, goosebumps appearing just after.

“It’s back,” Connie whispered, clutching Sasha. “Oh god, what do we do?”

As if in response, the tapping stopped just as it reached the stairs. 

Nobody moved a muscle, or even dare to take a breath. All eyes were locked on the opening of the stairs.

A foot appeared, covered in thin, dirty white fur. It had only one toe, black with frostbite and tipped with a large yellow claw. It hit the step with a soft ‘ _tak_ ’, followed by the other.

Almost as one, everyone turned to run. 

Panic ensued. There were screams from the others mixed with those awful noises from the wendigo, and the only sure constant was Levi’s tight grip around your hand. You weren’t even sure where you were going, blindly trusting him to lead you.

You didn’t realize you were outside until your vision turned white.

**Author's Note:**

> So this work isn't complete. It's on hiatus, but I do intend to come back to it eventually.


End file.
